When it comes to computers, it is easy to forget about how important a case is. Heat kills. Too much heat can reduce the lifespan of components. And especially for overclockers, the internal components can get hot. So internal airflow is important. A good case will be designed for this. And of course it also houses all of our components. Up for review today is the Antec Eleven Hundred gaming case.It's features and specs:
Case Type: Mid-Tower
Color(s): Black
Cooling System: One 200 mm blue LED top fan- One 120 mm rear fan- One 120 mm intake fan behind. Motherboard for CPU cooling (optional)- Two 120 mm internal intake fans (optional)- Two 120 mm front intake fans (optional)- Two 120 mm side panel fans to cool graphic cards (optional)- Fan power hub (allows you to connect four 3-pin fans to a single Molex for improved cable management)
Drive Bays: Three 5.25" tool-less drive bays- Two 2.5” drive bays (dedicated)- Six 3.5” tool-less drive bays (rail-mount design)
Front Ports: Two USB 3.0 with internal motherboard connector- Two USB 2.0- Audio In/Out
Expansion Slots: / video card size- Nine expansion slots- 13" (330 mm) video card size
Maximum CPU cooler height: 6.7” (170 mm)
PSU: None
Motherboard Support: XL-ATX [13.6” x 10.3” (345 mm x 262 mm)], Standard ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX)
CPU Cutout: Enlarged CPU Cutout
Side panel features: Side Panel Window (Right side)- Two 120 mm fan mounts (Right side - Optional)- One 120 mm fan mount behind motherboard (Left side – Optional)
Dimensions: 20.7” (H) x 9.3” (W) x 21.5” (D) /- 527 mm (H) x 237 mm (W) x 546 mm (D)
Weight: Net weight: 15.3 lbs / 6.9 kg-
Gross weight: 18.7 lbs / 8.5 lbs 
The case came well packaged and double boxed. Taking it out of the plain brown outer box revealed an attractive printed box with images and specs about the case. Opening the box showed a well protected case with foam padding. The case was black aluminum, with a clear plastic window on the left side. Quality of the components was excellent, as well as the fit and finish. It is a very attractive and well built case of excellent quality.
I also really liked the styling. The black mesh on the front gives for a clean look. The left side has the clear window so you can look in and show off all of your components. I also liked the all black look. Except for the natural aluminum grommets, everything inside is all black. It is a gamer case after all. And for the hard core gamer, the bad boy look is a good one. This case looks serious.
Cooling is critical, whether you are overclocking to the max, or just want long life out of your system. After all, heat can kill. The Antec Eleven Hundred has you covered here. There are locations for...drum roll please...9 fans inside the case. That's right! 9! A 200mm tip and a 120mm rear come with the case. Then there are the slots for the optional fans. These include two in the front, two behind the hard drives, two side mounted to cool the video card, and one on the other side to cool beneath the motherboard. If you have ever been worried about getting enough air into your case, it is impossible with the Antec Eleven Hundred.
This is also a modern case, built for all the new components. Grommets for water cooling? check. Tooless design for all your drives? Check. SSD ready? Check. In fact, there are two SSD slots, you you can even do Raid if you so desire. USB 3.0? Check. There are two USB 3.0 jacks on the front of the case, that taps into your motherboard header. ATX-XL ready? Check. It even has built in cable management grommets, so you can hide your cables for a really clean look. Big enough for large video cords? Check. It can handle up to 13" long graphics cards. There are also expansion slots at the rear, so it is ready for about anything you can throw at it.
I really like the cases use of features as well. I already mentioned the cable management grommets, to hide your wires. They took that concept a step further and use it for your fans as well. There is a fan connector PCB at the rear, which allows you to connect four 3 pin fans to a single Molex to further help with able management. Computers can get so dusty inside, and they have thought of that too. There is a power supply intake filter, as well as front intake filters to help fight the dust.
Antec has a stellar product here in the Eleven Hundred. They seem to have thought of everything as far as design and features. Retail is $129, and quality of materials used is very good, with a very good fit and finish that gives an end product that looks excellent! It even has rear mounted fan speed control. I can't see anyone not being happy with the Eleven Hundred. Installing and working with my components was a cinch. Based on it's design, features, quality, and performance, the Antec Eleven Hundred has earned our Editor's Choice Award. Kudos to Antec for such a fine product. For more information and complete specs, check out their website at http://www.antec.com/
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